Art or method of governing the flight of multimissile projectiles.



PATENTLD DEC 6, 1904.

0. LA DOW" ART 0R METHOD OF GOVERNING THE FLIGHT OF MULTIMISSILB PROJECTILES,

RPPLIGATKOH FILED AUG. EL 1904.

N0 MODEL aim/[Masses 2 W UNITED STATES Patented December 6, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

ART 0R METHOD OF GOVERNING THE FLIGHT OF MULTlMlSSlLE PROJECTILES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 776,918, dated Decembo'. 6, 1904.

Original application flied January '7, 1904., Serial No. 187,993. Divided and this application filed August 8, 1904. Serial No. FilELQ'TO.

(Ho model.)

To a, whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES LA Dow. a citizen of the United States. residing atAlbany, in the county of Albany and State of New York,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Art of Efl'ecting Close Shooting of Projectile Charges Made Up of aNumber of Separate Missiles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention consists in the method or art of holding together and causing to be thrown as a relatively solid or compact mass a projectile charge made up of numerous separate and distinct missiles.

The present application is adivision of one filed in my name on the 7th day of January, 1904, and designated by Serial No. 187,998, wherein is claimed generically the art or method as applied to the control of the flight of mnltimissile projectiles, the present application being intended to cover specifically and alone such method as applied to the concentration or holding together of the portions of the projectile charge. This matter is placed in a separate application and patent for the reason that under the rules and practice of the Patent Oifice while a generic claim and a claim to one specific form or embodiment of the invention are permissible in one application and patent it is not permitted to claim therein two specifically-different embodiments of the invention, and it is my purpose to make specific claim through the parent application and the present case both to the art or method of effecting a spreading or diffusion of the missiles and to the art or method of concentrating or holding together the missiles of a. multimissile charge.

For certain classes of shooting it is desirable that the shot orother missiles constituting the projectile charge be caused to travel in a relatively compact mass, so that at a predetermined distance they shall cover a comparatively small area. on the target or other object aimed at. This may be desirable for either of two reasons-first, in order to utilize against large game a charge which it allowed to scatter to any considerable extent would be ineifectual to kill or seriously cripple a large animal, and, second, in order that the charge may be thrown to and made eifective at greater distances than it would be if permitted to separate sooner.

I have discovered that if the gases incident to the burning or explosion of the propelling or powder charge be allowed to pass to or into the projectile charge at or close to its circumference just before or at the time the projectile charge leaves the gun the missiles making up said charge will, by reason of the pressure inward as well as outward of the enveloping gases, be held together and caused to maintain a relatively compact formation for a considerable distance after leaving the muzzle of the gun. This direction of the gases to the circumference or periphery of the projectile charge may be effected in a variety of ways; but in view of existing conditions and of the greater convenience oi fixed ammunition it is preferred ordinarily to use such fixed ammunition, and I have for this reason illustrated my invention as embodied therein, but it is to be understood that I do not restrict myself thereto.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal central section of a cartridge loaded in a manner to produce concentration or holding together of the missiles makiugup the projectile charge. Figs. 2, 3, t, 5, and 6 are views illustrating some of the many forms of wads suitable for use between the propelling and projectile charges to efiect the purposes of the present invention, these wads being represented as contained withina shell to better illustrate the construction and principle of operation; and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the composite wad shown in Fig. 1.

In the drawings, A indicates a shell, which may be of any usual form or construction, but which is here represented as having a paper or pasteboard body with a reinforced base of paper in convolute form and a metallic flanged head, as is common in shot-cartridges..

B denotes the propelling charge of powder.

0 and D indicate wads interposed between the powder chargeB andthe projectile charge E, which latter is here represented as cone osed of a number of loose shot.

l indicates a retaining-wad placed outside or in front of the shot and held in the shell by turning or crimping the forward or front end of the shell in a manner usual and well understood. The matter of (llllIllJll'lg is optional, since any usual way of holding the retainingwad in position may be resorted to,

the same being no part of the present inven tion.

In Fig. 1 the wads Uand D, interposed between the propelling and projectile charges, together make up u separating body or medium suitable to the carrying out of the purposes of the present invention, though other forms and combinations of wads or separating mediums may be used. In other words, it is to be understood that the illustrations here given are merely suggestive of possible types. With the specific arrangement illustrated in Fig. 1 the powder upon being ignited by the primer G develops or generates gases which pass through the central opening a of wad C and find their way in limited degree between the proximate faces of wads (J and D and through the peripheral notches or passages b to the circumference of the projectile charge E. The pressure of the gases upon wad 0 causes said wad to be held so closely to wad D that only a relatively small portion of the gases can thus pass to the projectile charge as the latter moves through the barrel of the gun; but as the forward wad D is relieved of the circumferential friction in advance of wad (J a, greater separation is believed to occur at the instant that wad D emerges from the gun, and as a consequence the gases are permitted to pass in greaterquantity between the wads and through thenotches or passages b and to move forward around the projectile charge E, thereby effectually and completely enveloping said charge and serving to hold the same in a compact mass. By arranging the two wads so that each practically closes the openings or passages of the other while the charge is passing through the gun undue or injurious escape of gases to a point in advance of the wads is precluded.

The foregoing is believed to be a correct statement of what actuallytakes place within the gun, though from the nature of the case it is impossible to say with absolute certainty that this is the correct theory or an exact statement of the action occurring. W hatever may be the fact as to this, it has been definitely ascertained thata shell constructed or loaded in the manner stated does cause the projectile charge to move in a more compact mass than when loaded in the ordinary way or with wads of customary form.

Fig. 2 represents a wad D of the formshown in Fig. 1. This and other forms, abontto be referred to, are represented as contained within a shell A.

l ig. 3 showsn wad l), having its pol'iphe clipped or cut away at lour points. lL'ilVl. segmental hearing portions r; to ill. the he of the shell and ol the gun and maintain l. wad in its proper relation to other portio of the charge and to the bore of the gun.

Fig. 4 shows a wad 1)", having recess similar to those in the wad illustrated in Fi 2, but of larger size and fewer in numhr In both cases. and, in fact. in all cases, it is d sirable that the openings or passages, howcv [.HOClUGBCl, be sym metrically arranged or even (liStlllJlltBLl about the center or axis of tl wad and charge.

In Fig. 5 there is shown a wad I) simil: to that illustrated in Fig. 3, except that tl segmental bearing-faces c of Fig. 3 are 1' moved, leaving only contact-points instead extended surfaces.

In Fig. 6 a wad I), having a series oi po forations near, but not actually opening to, i circumference is shown.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view ofthe wa shown in section in Fig. 1, wad 0 having th central perforation a and Wad D the peripl 'eral notches 5, before referred to.

While I have illustrated and described tl. invention as applied to a shot-cartridge, it to be understood that it coiuprchends largr charges and pr0jectilessuch, for instanc as canister, shrapnel, and the lil cthe prji ciple remaining unchanged and the diil'ereut being merely one of size or degree.

No claim is made herein generically to th mode of controlling the flight of a mult missile charge, since such generic claim i made in application Serial No. 187,998, 0 which, as before stated, this is a division; bu claim is specifically madeherein to the direc tion of the gases to the circumference of th charge and the enveloping of the charge i); such gases for the purpose of effecting con centration or holding together of the charge and consequent close shooting. The mean by which this is effected will not be claimez herein, being made the subject-matter of sepa rate application filed in my name on the 8t] day of August, 1904:, and designated by Se rial No. 219,972.

Having thus described my invention, wha I claim is l. The herein-described art or method 0' effecting and controlling a concentration 01 holding together of the separate missiles constituting a projectile charge, which consists in delivering and directing to the projectih charge at or near its circumference a portioi' of the gases incident to the burning or explosion of the propelling charge, and preventing the entrance thereof into said charge at its axis.

2. The herein-described art or method oi efiecting close shooting or holding together of the missiles constitutingap rojectile charge, which consists in causing the gases incident to the burning or explosion of the propelling L0 thisspecllieation in the [)l'GSQl'lCBOl twmsullelmrge to enter the prmeeblle charge nu er scribing, wltnesses.

close to in; circumference and to envelop said l i l *8 A charge as Lhe latter leaves the muzzle of the l l gun, whereby the XIIISSllOS are prevented from Witnesse freely separamug and spreadmg apart. WrmmM W. Douala,

In testimony whereof.[havesignerl my nzune FANNIE W131 

